title: A method for extracorporeal heparin removal from blood by affinity chromatography.
abstract: A high level of heparin, infused into blood, often causes severe complications such as hemorrhage, especially when a drug is administered over a long period. The most common way of preventing a patient from bleeding after transfusion is by administering a heparin antagonist such as protamine. The complex molecules formed between heparin and protamine, if left in the bloodstream, may cause hypotension and other side effects. Protamine was immobilized as a bioligand on the affinity matrix formed by grafting an acrylic polymer on cellulose backbone. By flowing blood tangentially along the matrix surface immobilized with protamine, 70-90% heparin reduction was achieved from 1 L of blood containing 10 IU/ml of heparin studied in vitro. The acrylic gel surface avoids lysis of blood, the cellulose support sustains the flow of viscous blood at 50 ml/min, and the tangential flow design permits direct processing of blood without pressure buildup in the system. The example demonstrates the feasibility of applying such a device as a means of immunoadsorptive filter for the selective removal of disease-causing factors from blood.
authors.affiliation: Cuno Inc., Life Science Division, Meriden, Connecticut 06450.
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zaniewski
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shumway
mesh_terms: D002846:Chromatography, Affinity / Q000295:instrumentation; D005374:Filtration / Q000295:instrumentation; D006493:Heparin / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007163:Immunosorbent Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011479:Protamines
chemical_list: D011479:Protamines; D006493:Heparin